FOR TWO hours every night, a 10-watt light bulb makes it possible for 12-year old Ian Grace to do her homework and keep her place among the top 10 students of her class.

Ian’s household is one among many in Bunog village, in the Philippines, that benefits from a solar-powered battery system financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with resources provided by the Danish Cooperation Fund for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Rural Areas.

The Philippines’ Department of Energy is implementing the project, which rehabilitates old renewable energy systems in remote areas. In Bunog, a non-operating solar battery system installed years earlier has been rehabilitated. The village is 30 kilometers away from the nearest electric pole, and since it has a low power demand, connecting it to the grid is not economically viable.

“The solar energy helps us a lot,” said Ian Grace’s mother Stella. “Our children are able to study their lessons and we are able to do our household chores, even at night.”

“Without the electricity, the children were only using candles for light in the evening,” said Evelyn Kamias, officer-in-charge of the nearby elementary school. “The children often don’t do their homework because they find it too difficult to study under a dim-lit candle or kerosene wick lamp.”

The solar-powered white light is brighter than the yellowish light from kerosene lamps it replaced. A kerosene lamp consumes an average one liter of kerosene a week, using a large amount of the income of an average farming family in the village.

“We reap huge benefits from solar power. It adds to our profit margins because we are able to sell even at night,” said store owner Rosalia Dulig. With the solar-powered light, she is able to serve customers up to 8 pm.

“Before, when we were using a kerosene lamp, it blackened our walls and our children inhaled the smoke, which affects their health,” said Apolonia Cortaje, a 35-year-old manager of a solar battery charging station.

There are six solar battery charging stations in the village, each catering to 10 to 15 households. There are some 70 households, each with their own solar battery. Those who manage the solar battery charging stations are usually full-time housewives, who charge one battery a day or an average six batteries in a week, earning for them extra income.

It takes a full day and a small fee to charge a solar battery, which then lasts for 10 to 15 nights. Each beneficiary remits a small fee as monthly dues for two years for battery replacement, which has a two to three-year lifetime. The renewable energy system itself can last 20 years.

The Bunog solar project is one of two non-functioning renewable energy systems made operational again by the ADB-funded project. The other project is the rehabilitation of a twin micro hydropower system in the norther province of Kalinga.

The Philippines has been developing new and renewable energy systems for rural electrification with solar, mini-hydro and wind power. While most of the projects provide reliable and cost-effective electricity services to the communities they serve, about 20 to 25 percent fail due to sub-standard equipment and inadequate after-sales services.

The government requested ADB assistance to rehabilitate the failed projects. ADB responded by providing a $450,000 grant for a project implemented by India’s Energy and Resource Institute and IDP Consultants Inc. of the Philippines.

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN was once a 2 million-ton garbage heap that, for over 40 years, served as a waste disposal facility for the Philippines’ capital city of Manila. It drew a large community of informal settlers who scavenged the garbage for their livelihood.

Once Manila’s scourge, Smokey Mountain has been transformed by the government into a low-income housing community for more than 30,000 people. Though the housing situation has improved, the area remains home to individual waste pickers, junk shops, and a variety of people and cooperatives engaged in recycling municipal solid waste, often under very difficult working conditions.

“It became apparent that there was a need to improve the recycling facility and provide capacity building and skills training to the community,” says Anita Celdran, program director of Sustainable Project Management, which is working to address the problem.

In addition, new services were needed. The supply chain had to be organized, and the recycling process had to be streamlined to double the selling price of the recyclables. The work conditions of the waste sorters in the area can be quite precarious.

“It became evident that to improve the work environment, a new workspace has become imperative,” says Ms. Celdran.

To address this issue, ADB is working with the Philippine government’s National Solid Waste Management Commission to support Sustainable Project Management, a Geneva-based nongovernmental organization that is training the Smokey Mountain community in improving their waste recycling through better collection, sorting and exporting. Trash is transformed into primary materials that can fetch higher profits in international markets like China, a major importer of recycled plastics.

“Communities like Smokey Mountain have been stepping up waste recycling programs and turning what used to be regarded as unwanted trash into precious, revenue-generating treasures,” says Celdran.

On May 11, the Smokey Mountain community inaugurated its first “green” material recovery facility, or waste collection center, with the health and safety of the community in mind.

Under the Philippines new National Solid Waste Management Law, communities are encouraged to set up “material recovery facilities” to help divert waste from active landfills. The facility is supported by a $229,500 grant under ADB’s Poverty and Environment Program through contributions from the governments of Norway and Sweden, and the ADB’s technical assistance funding program.

For more than two years, Sustainable Project Management has been training and assisting the community, led by its parish priest, Father Ben Beltran, and the Samahan ng Muling Pagkabuhay Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

The facility is designed for natural ventilation, protection from heavy rains, and will have a large kitchen area for an expanded food catering business, to feed the workers at the site. The company Holcim Cement provided a 10-day construction training course for 40 residents, who in turn donated some of their time to help build the facility.

“It has truly taken the effort and support of the whole community to make this new building a reality,” says Ms. Celdran.

In addition to the waste recycling facility, Sustainable Project Management is also working to educate the community on recycling. Households in Smokey Mountain will sort their trash and contribute to the supply chain as most of the organic waste comes directly from collection bins outside of each building in the community.

The cooperative in the area has also been recycling old newspapers and phone books into handbags and accessories, sold mostly to the Australian market. Over 100 housewives were trained to make the bags, giving them additional income. A fashion line of clothing is also being launched to create job opportunities in the community.

Despite the projects underway in Smokey Mountain, much work remains to be done, says Ms. Celdran. The remaining landfill continues to be a health and safety hazard for the community. Rainwater percolating through the mountain continues to carry traces of metals and toxins that pose health risks to the community even as the mountain now seems to be covered with grass. Unaware of the hazards, a number of community members are growing vegetable gardens on the mountain top while children play along the water run-off.

By Rita Festin, ADB National Officer

Panabo City – When Mayor Rey Gavina steps down after his serving out the maximum three terms as a local executive, he will leave behind a legacy of improved infrastructure and facilities that will put his city “on the map” of Mindanao.

Foremost among his legacies is the spankingly new integrated bus and jeepney terminal, built at a cost of P38 million from an Asian Development Bank (ADB) concessionary loan under its Mindanao Basic Urban Services Sector Project (MBUSSP) being implemented by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Land Bank of the Philippines.

“Iyong utang namin, kung magkanong mabayaran namin in one year, kikita pa kami ng mga not less than P2 million siguro.  Ngayong hindi pa nag-operate iyong mga stalls, kumita na almost double, (We could easily repay in one year the money that we borrowed and earn a profit of maybe not less than P2million.  The stalls of the market vendors are not even set-up and yet we are already earning double our expectations.)“ says Mayor Gavina.  “Kaya malaking tulong talaga (It really is a big help).”   

The buses pay P30 per visit, while jeepneys pay P20 per visit to pick up passengers.  Local town executives have ensured that all public transport should pass the terminal as enshrined in a local ordinance passed early this year.

In Mahayag, Zamboanga del Norte, it is a similar success story of improved revenues and modern infrastructure.  Its newly-built municipal hall was funded with a P14-million loan from the project. From being the dirtiest municipality in Mindanao in 1997, with a 1960s-built municipal town hall, Mahayag has turned around its image to become the second cleanest municipality in the province last year. The town mayor says the building has directly helped Mahayag raise more revenues, which in turn led to their being recently upgraded to a third class municipality.

DILG Assistant Secretary Austere Panadero was so impressed by the building that he called it the “best municipal building in the whole Mindanao” during its inauguration in 2005. “We are proud of this building. Before, Mahayag looked like it was left behind,” declares Mayor Paulino Fanilag. “Now, no more. People pay their taxes because they can see where their taxes go.” Town revenues in 2005 increased by at least 12 percent as compared to 2004. 

And as a result of capacity building seminars under MBUSSP, the town will now construct on its own a potable water supply system to be sourced from its water falls. 

The start up of the Project has been slow, but currently the MBUSSP sees that a large number of subprojects are under construction, in an attempt to complete these before the end of 2007. 

No less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurated the Kapatagan municipal hall in Lanao del Norte in 2006.  Jabonga, Agusan del Sur also has a new municipal hall. 

There are also the R. T. Lim public market in  Zamboanga Sibugay; Dumalinao and Alicia public markets in Zamboanga del Sur; Datu Odin Sinsuat and Buluan public markets in Maguindanao; and the Cabadbaran public market in Agusan del Sur.  Besides Panabo City, another transport terminal was also built in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.  The Naawan Water Supply was constructed in Misamis Oriental. 

When it was inaugurated in late 2005, the P46.1 million Buluan public market was the first MBUSSP urban infrastructure project in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.  Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu made sure that widows were given priority in the assignment of stalls.  The town’s effective local governance was evident in the transformation of capacity building program into infrastructure investment support with the completion of the public market, says Madonna Medenilla, ADB national officer.  Buluan public market serves as the model for replication in other LGUS in ARMM.

Other projects are scheduled for inauguration and/or completion in the coming months in the provinces of Maguindanao, Agusan del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, North Cotabato, Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Surigao del Norte.  There is also the new P67.16 million transport terminal In Kidapawan City.   

In Ozamiz City, a new and modern two-storey public market will soon be built to replace the existing public market which is so dilapidated that during the rainy season, its women market vendors often joke it rains both inside and outside the building.   The project has also built municipal gymnasiums in three towns and provided heavy equipment in two other towns. To date, DILG has 20 completed subprojects worth more than P580 million. 

“The MBUSSP is among the initiatives being undertaken by the government to improve the quality of life in Mindanao by institutionalizing the capacity of LGUs to provide its constituencies with infrastructure and other essential services,” according to DILG Asec. Brian Yamsuan when he inaugurated the Panabo City transport terminal.   

MBUSSP covers the construction and rehabilitation of public markets, gymnasiums, transport terminals, cultural centers, water supply and municipal buildings to benefit 11 provinces, covering 30 to 40 LGUs.  Aside from the infrastructure and investments component, it also has an institutional capacity building component to help LGUs better manage and sustain the infrastructure projects. 

“Project beneficiaries are mostly poor communities in Mindanao who would gain better access to basic services in their respective localities,” says Florian Steinberg, ADB Urban Development Specialist.   

Before the realization of the transport terminal in Panabo City, Mayor Gavina would be awed by the transport terminals of other towns and he realized his town should have its own terminal, being next door to Davao City. 

“We had no terminal here in Panabo.  We just used the old gym for the terminal.  We could not accommodate the terminal jeepney bound for farflung barangays,” he said.  Besides the terminal, Mayor Gavina’s legacy includes a new City Hall and a new gym to replace the old gym that served as his town’s transport terminal for 8 long years. 

But the transport terminal will stand out as the crown jewel of his legacies as he builds islands along the national highway for the    plants and lights leading to the terminal, practically THE gateway to and from Davao City and to the whole Mindanao itself.      

Sisterhood of Mindanao Market Vendors Helps Them to Learn and Earn More
By Rita Festin  

AT THE market in Panabo, in the southern Philippine province of Davao del Norte, times have been hard for 68-year-old vendor Remedios Homesillo.

“It's so difficult nowadays to sell - we need a new livelihood,” says this mother of nine and grandmother of 20, who with her husband has been selling meat at market for the best part of six decades.

Balancing parenthood with eking out a meager living has not been easy for any of the vendors. And with business now on the downturn, there is often little for them to do but sit and gossip.

But a new project has been trying to bring new hope and incomes to the vendors to help break them out of the cycle of poverty and debt, by teaching them new skills, improving working conditions, and in the process helping them become better parents.

Backed by a US$1 million grant from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, financed by the Government of Japan, the project is targeting about 1,600 poor women vendors in public markets in eight areas of Mindanao. Aside from Panabo, these include Mahayag, Zamboanga del Sur; Ozamiz, Misamis Occidental; Kidapawan City, Cotabato; Surigao City, Surigao del Norte; Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte; and in the towns of Buluan and Parang in Maguindanao.

An important feature of the project is the establishment in each town of a women's resource center (WRC) to provide space for training, a drop-in clinic, daycare for pre-schoolers, and cold storage, lockers, and wash rooms, all available at a minimal fee.

The WRCs have become in effect the nerve center for all the women's activities where they can meet and interact like a sisterhood, says Myrna Lim, Executive Director of the Notre Dame Foundation for Charitable Activities, Inc. Women Enterprise Development (NDFCAI-WED), the project's implementing agency.

“The project … hopes to provide sustainable gender-sensitive social safety nets for women market vendors [and] improve the quality of their working environment,” she says.

Vendors have hailed the centers as a place where they can socialize and group together, rather than simply face problems on their own.

“It’s a place where we can get closer to each other, see each other often. Not like before where we did not know each other and we were on our own,” says 31-year old Geraldine Aguia, a vendor in Panabo City and mother of three. “We now have someone to turn to and we just do not go direct to City Hall. If we go individually, there is no action. As a group, we have their ear because we are more powerful.”

Change didn’t come easy, though. In Panabo City, attendance at training sessions was at first poor because vendors were reluctant to leave their stalls and sacrifice sales. Since most of them start their day at the market at 4:30 a.m., they found it a burden to attend a full-day of training from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. But once they realized the benefits, attendance picked up drastically.

For example, Gabriela Ocaña, a 49-year old mother of two who sells fruits for a living, attended customer service seminars and soap-making training. “I have sold some soap, and my family uses my own soap so we have also reduced our expenses,” she says.

Popular with the vendors is training on preparing and handling food. For example, Jean Sotto, 50, who has been running an eatery for the past 20 years, has used the training to extend her culinary knowledge so she can diversify into new food items, such as desserts. Her sister, Elvira Senuino, 55, who assists her, attended training in Christmas decoration making and was able to sell P2,000 worth last year. By mid-year she will begin making decorations again to meet the expected demand for orders.

Vendors are also taking up herbal medicine, hair styling, dressmaking, and nail care, among others.

A requirement before market vendors can benefit from the project is for them to be formally organized, including electing a board. Their association gives them an independent voice separate from the larger federation that includes male members.

Recognizing the potent political force that the women wield, the vendors’ associations have attracted strong backing from local politicians. In Panabo City, the Mayor has agreed to provide a P200,000 microfinance revolving fund. In Ozamiz City, the mayor’s office provides health services through the Women’s Resource Center. And in Mahayag, the mayor immediately provided temporary stalls for the vendors when stalls were damaged in a market fire earlier this year.

The eight project areas are also benefiting under the ADB-funded Mindanao Basic Urban Services Sector Project (MBUSSP), which is upgrading and rehabilitating much-needed infrastructure through a $30 million loan.

In Mahayag, the newly-built municipal hall is funded with P14-million from the project, with the JFPR-funded Women’s Resource Center for the vendors standing by its side. From being the dirtiest municipality in Mindanao in 1997, with a 1960s municipal town hall, Mahayag has turned around its image to become the second cleanest municipality in the province this year.

The town mayor says the building has directly helped Mahayag raise more revenues, which in turn led to their being upgraded into a third class municipality in 2005. Department of Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary Austere Panadero was so impressed by the building that he called it the “best municipal building in the whole Mindanao” during its inauguration in March 2005.

“We are proud of this building. Before, Mahayag looked like it was left behind,” declares Mayor Paulino Fanilag. “Now, no more. People pay their taxes because they can see where their taxes go.”

The WRCs and the infrastructure projects under MBUSSP are being completed one after another. In Panabo City, a new bus and jeepney terminal that will put the city on the map will rise by the end of this year, and women market vendors will have stalls there as well. In Ozamiz City, a new and modern two-storey public market will soon be built to replace the completely dilapidated existing building where, as women market vendors often joke about, it rains both inside and outside during the wet season.

“I am very happy that this project came to Mindanao,” says Loli Aginones, a 50-year-old mother of three who learned to bake and sell peanut butter, tarts, and macaroons through the project. “It's a big help to the women of Panabo. At the same time, I enjoy what I'm doing.”

In Mahayag, a word that means “to illuminate” in the local dialect, poor women market vendors can indeed look forward to a brighter future.

(This article was published in the 13 November 2006 issue of the Philippine Star)

Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte -- It's no accident that Southern Leyte topped the recent National Achievement Test (NAT) where three of its national high schools in fifth class municipalities bagged a 1-2-3 finish in the freshman level. In fact, eight of its national high schools were in the top 30. That the test came just a week after the Ginsaugon landslide disaster which buried an elementary school made the feat even more meaningful to them.

On top of its class. Second year students of Rizal National High School in Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte, pose with their teachers. At the first row (fourth and fifth from left) are Margarita Badeo, teacher-in-charge, and Mayor Felicula.

Southern Leyte is one of the provinces where the Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP) is being implemented for which the Asian Development Bank provided a $53 million loan in 1998. The project benefits over a million high school students in 26 very poor provinces where enrollment, completion, and student performance levels were low. It aims to improve the quality of secondary education and access to such education in those provinces.

Under the project, school heads are trained in planning and management while teachers were trained in subject knowledge and teaching skills. The project has provided textbooks for all students in core subjects (i.e. Math, Science, English, and Filipino) and some of those unable to attend school regularly have an alternative secondary education program. Innovative ways to keep the students in school have been developed; some schools even have their own school-feeding program. It has also promoted the decentralization of secondary education management by building up the capacity of divisions, regions, and central offices to take on new responsibilities. The Bureau for Secondary Education (BSE) under the Department of Education is implementing the project. ADB's contribution in the "soft" areas (capacity development, school development, alternative school programs and teaching-learning materials) is complemented by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation which supports the project through infrastructure development (new schools and new classrooms for existing schools) and school equipment.

When the natiional test results came out, Southern Leyte schools division superintendent Dr. Violeta Alocilja literally "jumped for joy", even at the risk of a fourth stroke. After all, there was a time when they ranked second to the last in the region. But within a year of her appointment to Southern Leyte, the area was able to zoom up the list of SEDIP schools to no. 3 in the whole region. Last year, it already ranked no. 1 among SEDIP divisions in the Eastern Visayas region.

"SEDIP played a very significant role in influencing learning. It is also the stimulus which developed the schools with all the inputs, learning packages, and the in-service training. It revitalized the learning in the classroom. The learning that the school heads gathered from the training significantly developed their competence to lead the schools," Dr. Alocilja says.

"I am glad because, with SEDIP, all teachers are trained. And SEDIP insisted that the first who are trained are the same teachers to be trained for phase 2. There's a very good tracking mechanism that they have installed for in-service training." Teachers are after all the key in the learning process, she notes.

Rizal National High School teacher-in-charge Margarita Badeo said she initially thought it was the school in Metro Manila with the same name that topped the exam. "I was shocked. I did not expect it. Mixed emotions talaga (really)," Badeo said, feeling happy at their achievement but overwhelmed by the responsibility of now keeping up with people's high expectations.

NAT Topnotchers. At the entrance of Rizal National High School, a streamer greets students reminding them of their achievement.

Her small school is located up a remote hill in this town where its 194 enrollees wear rubber slip-ons to school through mud and a rugged uphill terrain. They do wear shoes but only inside the classroom so they will not get muddy. Most of the students are children of poor farmers and are malnourished. Some of them live as far as 5 kilometers away and spend an hour walking just to go to school. The school maximizes their attendance by having a daily feeding program where parents take turns bringing simple lunch for the entire school. This way, students will not have to leave school at lunchtime nor drop out due to hunger. For their prize, the town mayor had a stage built in the middle of the school grounds. Each of the teachers will also get a certificate of recognition.

In second-placer Marayag National High School in San Francisco town, students also do not wear shoes because it makes their feet swell when walking through the sand to the beachfront school. Some students wake up at 4 am just to ride the public bus to school. The school has about 40 students in a class and is just a few meters away from the sea. Waves could get very high in a strong "habagat" (typhoon). The school nonetheless has many best practices, not just in the scholastic field with its conducive learning atmosphere, but in the arts as well. It has classes in painting, pottery, and bonsai gardening. Parents play an important role in their children's education.

"Masaya po kaming nakamit namin ang pangalawa sa National Achievement Test dahil hindi nasayang ang paghihirap naming na araw-araw naming pag-rereview (We are very happy that we got second place because our hard work in the daily reviews did not go to waste),".says second year high school student Daryl Aure who was one of the students who took the NAT in Marayag.

Teachers and students were well prepared for the exam, pumping in months of intense review and extra school hours that spilled over into the weekends. Towards the exam date, they were given mock tests based on previous NATs. When the landslide occurred, then Education Secretary Fe Hidalgo gave the district the option to cancel the exams; but the teachers themselves decided to go through with them, focused as they were.

"It is not, however, the review itself that enables students to perform well on exams but the process of making connections and seeing relationships between and among lessons," according to Lolita Andrada, Director of the BSE and SEDIP project manager.

They started reviews as early as July. "By doing this preparation, we can improve more, maintain and move higher," says Rico Amper, principal of third-placer Pintuyan National High School which is located on a hill in the heart of Pintuyan town, overlooking the sea. The town name means "it's a door", meaning it is the gateway to Mindanao. The last time the school placed high in a national exam was in the 1990s when he was still a young teacher.

The roads leading to his school are being cemented but several sections have landslide warnings. In fact, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau has warned that the 30-year old school is landslide-prone at the back, where a creek is located. But residents leave their fate to God.

"Dito sa Pintuyan, we are happy na hindi kami naapektuhan sa mga landslide. Iyong mga kalapit namin -- Liloan, San Ricardo and San Francisco -- iyong tatlong iyan, natamaan talaga. We are very thankful to God na hindi naman kami nasasama (Here in Pintuyan, we are happy that we are not affected by landslides. The neighboring towns like Liloan, San Ricardo and San Francisco, those three are really prone. We are very thankful to God that we are spared," says town councilor Eusebio Tiempo.

NAT Second Topnotcher. Students of Marayag National High School in San Francisco, Southern Leyte, stream out of their beachfront school.

Their high ranking is no accident for education is a commitment between stakeholders. In Pintuyan, parents and students sign a Learning Contract where they vow not to let the children miss school, even the special weekend classes when they are supposed to be farming, fishing or doing household chores. Parents and students do not mind the extended school days since they know it is for their children's sake. The contracts are submitted to the teacher for safekeeping. In other schools, the contract is between the parents, students and teachers.

"Parents should also spend time with their children so that their children will be guided during study hours, ideally after dinner at least one hour a day, doing their assignments. That is one way of encouraging them to study. But when the parents are mostly working, and only the helpers are there, wala talaga epekto (there is really no effect). Because education starts at home, parents play a major role so that the students would love reading, would love to study," says Indalecia A. Sumulat, school principal of Marayag National High School. Her first name was picked out from the Almanac and her last name means "write". She advises the youth to refrain from watching too much TV. "It can distract from their study habits. Because most of their time, they are watching TV and their study habits will be affected," she added.

Dr. Alocilja emphasizes the need for students to be good in communication skills, both in reading and writing, even incorporating a journalism subject in all her public high schools. "If you are weak in English, you are weak in all subjects," she says. "You can't compete in the world if you're not well-grounded in English and reading. It opens up to a whole world of adventure, building the confidence of children to face the world and meet the challenges."

With an average ratio of 40 to 50 students in a class in this province, teachers manage the students better, unlike their counterparts in many other areas where class size is sometimes double that number.

In the project's High School Innovation Fund (HSIF), innovative interventions are used to help students with low reading comprehension or for other activities to improve student performance. They are identified and grouped into one class for reading sessions where they are given exercises, such as silent reading, shown films and taught how to appreciate the story. From 'frustration' level, they go on to achieve the 'independent' level.

Some schools even have their own slogans for the HSIF program. For 33rd placer Sogod National High School, it's "Catch Before they Fall", meaning catch the students and help them improve their reading comprehension before they drop out of school out of frustration. For 17th placer Divisoria National High School, it's "Hooked on Books" to get the students to love reading.

In the project's Secondary Schooling Alternatives component, students at risk of dropping out are assisted. Some principals and teachers adopt their own "scholars", generally with funds from their own pocket.

Dedicated educators. Southern Leyte schools division superintendent Dr. Violeta Alocilja and Margarita Badeo, teacher-in-charge of topnotcher Rizal National High School in Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte, beam at their students' topnotch performance.

The school heads attribute their good performance to the hands-on supervision of their division superintendent. "Her words are very powerful," Badeo says of Dr. Alocilja who has a reputation for being strict and tough. Sumulat cites her guidance and motivation. "She is always telling us to review, review, and make some strategies in order to sustain and maintain that rank." But she is quick to give credit to her teachers and school heads. "I really got the best of them all."

Wendy Duncan, ADB Senior Project Management Specialist, commended the understudy program for principals in Southern Leyte, which means there is no hiatus nor missing link in the school hierarchy at any time, such as during training programs.

Dr. Alocilja talks slowly in a monotone, and chooses her words carefully. But her voice can break into a deep and hearty laugh, especially when she talks about her schools. When she sings the karaoke, to relieve stress, she does so with much passion. But she deliberately tones down her performance when pitted against local town mayors whose support she woos for funding school projects.

Her third stroke three years ago rendered her a vegetable but she was able to recover and get back on her feet in no time. "God allowed me to live another episode. So I promised the Lord that this time, every minute counts. So I am living on borrowed time, making an impact here and there, up, down, middle, so that things will be remembered."

Her mission in life is that "no public school student should feel so small" when pitted against private school counterparts, admitting that she was discriminated against in public school as a child. Back then, her family was so poor they could not afford to contribute a chicken for a victory party for honor students like her, as required by her teacher. "My parents said we don't have food to eat nga, mag-donate pa ng chicken (My parents said we don't have enough food to eat so how can we donate a chicken)?!," she recalled.

As a result of that incident, she is very strong on fairness and objectivity in assessing the performance of teachers and pupils. "Be honest and sincere because we will earn the respect of the community we are serving," she stresses.

Davao City – With air transportation crucial to economic and social connectivity in the Philippine archipelago, the new $128 million state-of-the-art international airport in this city is a welcome development. It is now fully operational and is raring to take in more passengers and bigger aircraft.

With Asian Development Bank financing, the Davao airport in Mindanao has been upgraded and expanded to provide reliable and safe all-weather operations that meet  international standards and remove infrastructure bottlenecks which were constraining the growth of domestic and international air services. It will also enhance Davao’s access to nearby markets and improve the overall economic prospects of the southern Philippines, and could be considered one vital link for the intermodal transport network essential for this area. 

Last year, actual passenger volume already surpassed one million domestic passengers flown in by Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and Asian Spirit out of 14 daily local flights.  International passengers to and from Manado and Singapore reached almost 25,000.  But Davao’s spacious and modern terminal building is designed to accommodate much more, and can easily accommodate up to twice its designed minimum passenger capacity of one million passengers.     The old airport terminal accommodated less than one million passengers in its last year of operation.  It did not attract international flights and the city therefore fell short of its strategic role in the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).  The passenger terminal had exceeded its capacity and the instrument landing system was not usable for precision approaches and landings.  As a result, international flights did not fly to and from Davao, and international passengers heading for or leaving Davao were forced to use Manila as a transfer point. Today, its present daily passenger volume is roughly 1,500, with the early morning peak hour servicing the bulk of that number.  The succeeding flights do not have as much passenger traffic.  But even at its peak, the airport can handle the steady inflow of passengers with its 14 domestic and 14 international check-in counters, almost double than its previous number of counters.  The Check-In counters are equipped with electronic weighing scales and conveyors and its baggage handling system is also computerized.     

The upgraded airport was funded through a loan from the Asian Development Bank, approved in 1994, which provided $41 million while the European Investment Bank provided $23 million.  The original cost of the project was $105 million   but due to foreign exchange escalation costs, the Asian financial crisis, and land acquisition costs, total cost of the Project reached $128 million.   

The airport, officially namedFrancisco Bangoy International Airport, opened on 2 December 2003.  The 209-hectare airport development for both airside and landside civil works was constructed in four years’ time.  The airport upgrading consisted of runway extension of 500 meters, achieving a usable take-off length of 3,000 meters that could now accommodate currently operated wide-body aircraft of major airlines, even 747s.  The installation of a new landing instrumentation system (ILS) for both Runways 05 and 23 upgraded its compliance to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Operating Category – Precision Approach Category 1, similar to Manila’sNinoy Aquino International Airport.  It can accommodate 8 to 10 aircraft landings per hour, depending on the size, and has the equivalent 8 gate holding areas for those aircraft.   “The Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower is considered the most advanced here in the Philippines, even more sophisticated than NAIA’s,” boasts Assistant Airport Manager Joey Saddam who was then the project manager of the airport construction.    The Project also covers the construction of a new Malay architecture-inspired terminal building which cost P1 billion and is four times bigger than the old airport terminal.  It is highly computerized, more secure, and has more commercial spaces for concessionaires at approximately 9,000 sq. m. It has four new units of boarding bridges for passengers. Airport Manager Frederick San Felix considers their security system quite strict.  Baggage is regularly screened three times prior to passenger check-in/boarding.  “It’s better that you know that all the baggages have been thoroughly checked…for your own protection,” he stresses.   Besides the main terminal building, there are also new support facilities like the Administration Building, the Central Plant Building,Airfield Maintenance Building, and Fire/Crash/Rescue Building.  It has a 688-slot car parking area and 4 slots for shuttle buses.  It has a 3-megawatt standby power generator.   The Energy Management Control System for the centralized air conditioning system, electrical and lights system, is now located in just one room.   Its Access Control System ensures that not all airport personnel have access to all areas of the airport such that certain cards can only enter selected doors and everybody entering them is registered.    It also has a Flight Information Display System and Closed Circuit Television System complementing the terminal’s security system.  TheCargo Terminal Building covers almost 5,580 sq. meters and can handle up to 84,600 tons a year.  In 2005, actual cargo volume was almost 44,000 tons.   With such modern facilities, the Davao City airport officials feel they can justify their proposed five-fold increase in terminal fees from P40 to P200 per passenger, the same as the fee being charged in Manila and Cebu airports.  Rentals are also proposed to be increased to raise the airport’s revenues, which only grossed almost P120 million in 2005, for its future sustainability.   

Saludita Buton or Lola Salud, 53, has ten children and eight grandchildren.  During the day, she babysits up to five other toddlers as a volunteer day-care mom for children of poor working mothers.  She does this in a space less than 20 square meters adjacent to her home in Barangay Catadman, Catmon,
Cebu.   

Maricel Dicdiquin, 25, was nine months pregnant  but she was still doing field work as a mobile child development worker, walking for hours just to reach and teach parents about proper child care in Balindog,Kidapawan City.  She earned  a P1,500 monthly honorarium from the local government and barangay.  It’s a job she has to do, she says.    

Tita Daya, 62, receives P1,000 per month as a day care worker in Barangay Flores, Catmon, Cebu, looking after up to 80 children daily, ranging from three to five years old.   When asked if that was enough, she smiled “I just let it be enough.”   

Erlinda Lagunsad, a 45-year old midwife, provides primary health services such as immunization, maternal health care, and a feeding program for kids in barangay Mateo,Kidapawan City.  Her husband, a government employee, agrees to her doing all these things from their home, 24/7, “because he loves me and he knows I love my work”. 

They are the field workers of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Early Childhood Development (ECD) project who were honored for their   dedication and exemplary performance, which most of them do not consider work at all.  They themselves are not rich but practically volunteer their services to care for other people’s children. 

At the awarding ceremony early this year, DSWD Undersecretary Luwalhati Pablo noted that they were carefully selected for their responsiveness, innovativeness, effectiveness and sustainability in implementing their respective programs and by how well they utilized their facilities. “Both national and regional officials focused on identifying and selecting the most inspiring effort among all the ECD project achievements,” she stressed.   DSWD was the lead agency implementing the ECD project with the Department of Health and Department of Education.  It was funded by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.  About three million children were served by the project through its various service delivery packages starting in  2000, reaching 1,522 barangays in 132 municipalities in 13 provinces where half of the country’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable children are located.   The project provided integrated services in health, nutrition, psychosocial development and early education for disadvantaged children of up to six years old, considered as most critical to the child’s development.  At this early stage, the physical, mental, social, and emotional facilities of the child are being formed which requires proper nutrition, health care, mental and psychomotor stimulation, emotional nurturing, social acceptance and support.  Otherwise, certain irreversible damages may occur and the child may not function properly as an adult.  One example is lack of iodine which can cause cretinism.  

The ECD packages were for Rural Health Midwife; Day Care Worker; Child Development Worker; and Day Care Mom.  The project also provided newly-constructed or renovated barangay health stations, day care centers and mothers’ homes.  Other services were the Expanded Program on Immunization, Integrated Management of Childhood Illness, Micronutrient Malnutrition Prevention and Control Program; Parent Effectiveness Service, and Early Childhood Experience. 

The local government of Catmon, Cebu was twice awarded for its strong commitment to the project due to the strong commitment of Mayor Estrella Aribal, herself a former teacher.  “I saw that this project can help the people of Catmon a lot, especially the poor children in the farms. Before the program started, when we were still a fifth class municipality, we really had a major malnutrition problem.  So ECD was really able to help.  And our service providers were really devoted to their job.  Even if the farms were far, they would go.  And the farms here are in steep hills, no roads, and in really difficult conditions,” the Mayor said.  Now, access is easier with the construction by the local government.of roads in practically every barangay in Catmon.  

The project upgraded existing facilities and significantly improved services.  From dilapidated nipa huts with rainwater from the roofs dripping on the children, the centers are now made of concrete and with sturdy roofs.  Almost 250 barangay health stations and 933 day care centers were constructed, while almost 500 barangay health stations and almost 1,000 day care centers were either repaired or upgraded.     

Lola Salud provides a temporary baby-sitting facility for infants up to two years of age.   She sings and dances for them, reads books, gives them milk to drink, and does  practically everything that any mother should do.  She does not get any salary; only fish, or rice, or small monetary donations.  She has been doing this for five years and has cared for more than 30 children.  “She just likes to take care of children,” the Mayor said proudly of Lola Salud who was a long-time barangay health worker.  Her day care home, which was constructed with funding from the ECD project, has toys, a baby crib, table and chairs, blackboard, children’s books, cassette player and tapes, cooking and eating utensils, water jug, and thermos.   

“Those who are rich can afford maids.  Those who are poor and have to work can leave their children here with me.  But those without work cannot leave their children here,” Lola Salud says, even if the child is her own grandchild.  “This is my service to my fellow man.  I just want to take care of children,” she says and will do so until her last  breath.   

Rosalinda Densing or Tita Daya, as she is fondly called, has been a day care worker in Barangay Flores, Catmon for ten years.  Out of the 80 children under her wing, 30 attend the morning session, and 50  in the afternoon session.  “I just want to help, no matter what the honorarium.”  She herself has eight children, ages 22 to 39, and 13 grandchildren, one of whom goes to her afternoon day care session.  At day care, the children learn arts and crafts, good manners and behavior, and have outdoor and indoor activities.  She is all alone but it’s not a difficult task because the children are old enough to behave by themselves.     

The ECD team inKidapawan City also received a DSWD award.  They attribute their success to good teamwork, regular inter-agency meetings and consultations.  The fact that all of them in the team are mothers also helps. “I am very grateful for their cooperation,” says Erlinda Solis Doblas, the city’s social welfare and development officer and ECD action officer.  “I am also inspired seeing them cooperate because our vision for our children here in Kidapawan is common.  We want our children here in Kidapawan to be totally developed,” Ms. Doblas says.  “We want them to be competitive in whatever field.”   Under the project, expectant mothers are now aware of the benefits of pre-natal care.  “In our time, we were not.  Things are different now.  Now we say, why is it only now that we have ECD?  We wish it were earlier so that our own children could be even brighter,” Ms. Doblas jokes.   Enriqueta Prudente who represents DepEd in the team, points to the positive influence the project has on the child’s school performance.  “They perform better and can already socialize, because of the training they got from ECD workers,” she says.  The project provides the centers with vitamins and medicines, usually for upper respiratory tract infection, gastroenteritis, and diarrhea which are the top illnesses in the area, according to Dr. Jocelyn Encilenzo, the city health officer.   Marilene Capilitan, city nutrition officer, noticed that the children who go to feeding sessions prefer natural food rather to nutripacks, whose taste they easily got tired of.  Mothers also bring in whatever vegetables they have in their own backyard to augment the food at the supplemental feeding for the malnourished. 

To motivate the mothers to have their children immunized, they are given free grocery items and a certificate that the child has been fully immunized.  The city boasts of a 99 percent fully immunized children (FIC) rate 

Erlinda Lagunsad, a 45-year old rural health midwife, received the  best service provider award.  “I probably won because of the cooperation of the people.  I did not know I won because I am doing this daily on my own.  This is my routine,” she says.  She provides prenatal check-ups, immunization, and delivers babies.  The ECD project provided her materials and supplies.  Ms. Lagunsad knows the job has many challenges and problems and she only has reassuring words for her peers.  “We should accept all the challenges.  And we should be willing to work hard,” she said.       

Her husband, Anacleto, is proud of her being best midwife for she is “a best wife too”.  “By supporting her, it’s just like saying I am supporting the people because I also happen to be a public servant,” he says.  He has been a government worker for 30 years.  “People here in the barangay are very lucky having a midwife like her who could be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  They can always call her,” he testifies. They  brought up their own children to help people in whatever way they can.  So it was no surprise that their youngest child chose to be a nurse. 

An important component of the project was the Parents Effectiveness Service (PES) which involves the parents in the ECD program.  More than 100,000 parents and other caregivers attended PES training. Parents were taught about existing laws on the rights of the child, responsible parenthood, responsibilities on early childhood development behavior, management of younger and older children, issues in husband-wife relationships, prevention of child abuse, health care and parenting issues.  More than 8,600 service providers like day care workers and midwives have been trained. 

In Balindog, barangay officials passed an ordinance stipulating that at least one parent has to attend all 9 modules of the seminar (at two hours per module), before a barangay clearance can be issued.  About 930 households have attended the seminar, and only 100 households have not attened. 

Maricel Dicdiquin, the mobile child development worker, did not have a hard time giving birth, a fact she attributes to  the exercise she got walking five kilometers or two hours to her target families.  “There’s no tricycle there and even if you ride the tricycle, you have to pay the fare back and forth.  So you just leave early so you can reach your destination,” she relates. 

“They depend on me.  If I am scheduled to go there, I have to go there because they are waiting for me,” she stresses.  “They appreciate the stories, the toys, and the materials that I bring because they have not seen those before.  I pity them because, I wonder who will do this for them when I leave?” she says, referring to the warm welcome she always gets in the remote areas. 

She laments the lack of awareness among poor rural folk about parental responsibilities.  “Some just give birth and give birth. Even if the midwife or the barangay health worker advises them to go on family planning, they are stubborn and do not listen.  But when PES was implemented, they were taught that they have a responsibility to their children, not just to themselves, because they need to feed them, educate them,” she says.  “It’s okay for people have children as long as they can feed and educate them.  But those who can’t might have to resort to child labor because they need money for their family,” she warned. 

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY -- This city, a popular tourist destination, prides itself as the cleanest and greenest in the country. But it may well be one of the noisiest cities too because of its tricycles.

Just like any other bustling city in the country, the city has air and noise pollution problems. The pollution is mainly caused by having too many of these poorly-maintained two-wheeler and three-wheeler tricycles. Here, they are “king of the road,” unlike in other Philippine cities in the where it is the jeepney that reigns “king.”

Puerto Princesa’s tricycles are fast-becoming tourist icons on their own like Thailand’s tuk-tuks. Its unique larger-than-usual design is intended to transport not just people, but cargo too. They are fitted with sidecars with shelves at the front and back sections to load agricultural produce. The windshield is wide and the sidecar is roomy to accommodate more cargo or passengers. The city is basically an agricultural and tourism area, hence the need to have a rear cargo compartment, inspired by the vintage cars of the 1950s.

Each tricycle measures 1.6 meters in height, 1.8 meters in width, and almost 2 meters in length. The tricycles are generally not roadworthy in design because its large sidecars are relatively unstable, and most engines are old model-types and poorly-maintained. Therefore, they take more effort to operate and make more noise than their counterparts, reaching 90-97 decibels (dB). Studies suggest that prolonged exposure to noise levels at or above 80 dB can cause deafness.

Due to growing demand and population growth, the number of tricycles has increased and are expected to further increase. In 2001, when City Mayor Edward Hagedorn stepped down from office and the tricycle population increased dramatically. When he assumed office again in 2003, the tricycle population had ballooned to more than 3,000 tricycles and traffic was very bad. As of 2005, there were about 4,000 tricycles in Puerto Princesa’s poblacion.

Hagedorn implemented a number-coding which later became a color-coding scheme for the tricycles, where they were either colored blue or white, to ply the city streets on alternating days. This effectively cut by half the number of tricycles plying the city streets, thereby reducing air pollution.

“It’s an embarrassment to be promoting the city as environment-friendly when there was so much air pollution. So we had to make a very drastic move – cut the tricycles into half. And traffic was immediately reduced,” recalled Hagedorn during a chat with Manila business reporters who visited the city last year.

“The driver now will have at least one day or two days a week with his family and he will be able to maintain his vehicle. Those who will go out that day will double his income because he has less competitors. Those who are more industrious can even triple their income. Smoke emission is reduced. Since there are now more passengers than tricycles, they would not have to spend more on fuel in going around and around the city. ”

But the coding scheme has not been able to address other problems like poor tricycle maintenance and providing drivers with alternative livelihood in a city with a 14 percent unemployment rate.

In a 2003 survey conducted by ADB, it was found that 70 percent of the drivers do not properly maintain their tricycles, which could help cut down its noise. Most tricycle drivers are low-income earners. They only earn a daily net income of between P100 and P150, or less than $3. Tricycle-driving is a popular means of living here since it does not require much skill.

The ADB study also found that the road network is mostly made-up of narrow streets and is not expanding. Thus, all directions point to a future increase in demand for tricycles, despite the hazards they pose on the streets. They clog the city streets, slow down traffic, and are more accident-prone than cars. More than half of the tricycle population in the city are at least 5 years old, while about 40 percent are more than 10 years old.

But there is hope for the city’s air pollution problem. In late 2005, an Air and Noise Pollution Reduction Strategies Project was launched from a $240,000 ADB grant. The project aims to reduce the air pollution from tricycles by the third quarter of 2006 and provide more “teeth” to the enforcement of air pollution laws. Half of the fund will go to a Tricycle Multi-Purpose Fund where operators can upgrade their engines from two-stroke to four-stroke engines or for other means of livelihood.

Drivers will be also be trained on the proper maintenance of their tricycles, and the city’s enforcement and monitoring of its Clean Air Act laws will be strengthened, especially for roadside emission monitoring and in catching smoke belchers. Registration of engines beyond 15 years of age will be restricted.

The grant, from the ADB’s Poverty and Environment Program (PEP), will also tackle the environmental and the underlying social issues surrounding the tricycle sector. The lessons learned from the project will be the basis in formulating and replicating strategies in other Philippine cities with a similar air pollution problem.

“It’s not only the preservation of our forest and marine resources that is our goal here in Puerto Princesa but also for us to help in reducing global warming. And this is through our efforts to prevent or minimize air pollution. That is why it is very important that ADB supported us with this fund to help us in our desire to become part of the solution and not the problem in the preservation of our environment,” Hagedorn said during the launch.

Yue-Lang Feng, an ADB Principal Environment Specialist, warned about the health hazards of being constantly exposed to air pollution. “Most people do not realize that there are so many pollutants in the white smoke from tricycles. The very tiny particulates in the smoke absorb sulfur dioxide and other volatile organic chemicals which go into your respiratory system and to your lungs,” she told the tricycle operators and drivers at the launch.

"Day by day, those pollutants accumulate in your lungs and finally damage your health. It might cause asthma, it might cause respiratory disorder. Many of you might not be aware of such health impacts."

About a third of the total vehicle population in the country is made up of these two- and three-wheelers, which are popularly used in both urban and rural areas. But they remain a popular transport vehicle for residents in local government units due to their high accessibility, availability, affordability, comfort and convenience. They are much less expensive than other vehicles and therefore play an important role in the country’s overall transportation system.

About 94 percent of these motorcycles and tricycles have two-stroke engines emitting fine-particulate matter, which pose a danger to public health that can result to premature death. It can have nonfatal effects on respiratory symptoms, exacerbate asthma, and cause changes in lung function. Since two-stroke engines have low fuel efficiency, the incompletely-burned gasoline and lubricant are emitted as small oil droplets which increase visible smoke and particulate emissions.

Commercial tricycle operations are often extended beyond their useful life so that maintenance is often postponed. Most drivers also use excessive lubricant due to lack of knowledge on the correct ratio or their perception that it increases fuel efficiency. The use of adulterated gasoline with kerosene is also practiced, because of high fuel prices.

By late-2006, the city can expect better air and less noise. It supports the goal of making Puerto Princessa city the number one tourist destination in the country in a few years’ time.

CALAUAN, LAGUNA -- Ann environmental army in Calauan, Laguna has taken the matter of cleaning up the Laguna Lake Basin into their own hands and making money out of it in the process.

The concept of the project "River Ecosystem Revival and Enhancement through the Utilization of Recovered Materials for Energy, Carbon Mitigation and Poverty Alleviation" is to make charcoal briquettes and environment-friendly organic fertilizer out of waste while cleaning up the river. It provides livelihood to poor fisherfolk and creates opportunities for small business enterprises around the Laguna de Bay region in the provinces of Rizal and Laguna and in Metro Manila.

The project was funded by the Asian Development Bank and was adjudged winner in last year's Panibagong Paraan: the first Development Marketplace in the Philippines, facilitated by the World Bank with international development partners, government, civil society and the private sector. With the theme, "Making Services Work for the Poor," Panibagong Paraan provided about P1-million funding to most of the winning innovative projects that addressed the theme.

Large volumes of waste materials which otherwise are discarded and left to rot are collected from rivers and streams to undergo a carbonizing process until they are converted into charcoal briquettes. Abandoned bio-mass such as coconut wastes and water hyacinth are processed into useful energy-giving charcoal briquettes, offering a better alternative to environmentally-harmful methods of charcoal-making such as burning and cutting of trees.

"The project offers these host of environmental benefits and provides livelihood opportunities for marginalized sectors," says Jose K. Carino III, project proponent and community development division chief of the Laguna Lake Development Authority based in Calauan, Laguna, which formed the 300-strong Laguna de Bay Environmental Army Foundation, Inc. to implement the project. The Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau is the primary partner-organization of the project.

There are 21 river systems that flow into the Laguna Lake, one of Southeast Asia's largest inland bodies of water. The proliferation of water hyacinth coupled with the indiscriminate dumping of garbage into the waterways has choked the lakeshore areas and the river systems that flow into the lake. Laguna de Bay is being eyed as a potential source of water supply for Metro Manila. The projects contributes to the clean-up of the lake by offering a sustainable waste recovery system while offering alternative livelihood opportunities for the poor fisherfolk around the basin who depend on the lake for a living.

The project also helps minimize carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere since converting abandoned bio-mass into useful energy-giving charcoal briquettes results in the conservation of dwindling forest areas. It is estimated that for every ton of charcoal briquettes produced, at least 75 trees are saved; and for every 1.3 hectares of water hyacinth removed from the lake, 0.14 hectares of forest plantations are saved.

The Environmental Army is convened at least once a month to haul out waste from the various rivers in the Basin. Once the bio-degradable river waste is collected, these are fed into the drum kilns until they are carbonized and later pulverized. The carbon particles are then mixed with a binder and then pressed into their final shape and form. These are then dried, packed and sold for P15/pack of 25 pieces. The briquette-shaped charcoal is more solid and slower to burn than the flake-shaped charcoal being sold commercially.

Mr. Carino sees good prospects for the project and some potential investors have in fact visited them to see the process. One of these potential investors has China as the target market where there is a high demand for heat-giving materials like charcoal. He is optimistic that given additional funding, the process of converting beneficial charcoal briquettes from abandoned bio-degradable wastes can be further improved and mechanized.

SAN PEDRO, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES – She used to live in a “home along da riles,” just like the popular Philippine sitcom, but 49-year old Vilna Rafal and her family, along with 426 other families who were former informal settlers living near the Muntinlupa railways, are now in “dreamland.”

They no longer risk life and limb and hear the incoming screech of trains but have their own homes and livelihood in Dreamland Heights, San Pedro, Laguna, made possible through a US$1 million grant from the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, financed by the Government of Japan.

Relocation site

The relocation site of about 2 hectares in Barangay United Bayanihan, San Pedro, Laguna, was selected by the communities themselves. They also coined the name “dreamland” for their community. It is about 8 kilometers from their former homes alongside the Philippine National Railways rail tracks. “Dito, wala nang baha at bagyo dahil mataas. At parang Tagaytay ang lamig; hindi kagaya sa Buli na ang sikip-sikip (Here, we no longer fear floods and typhoons because it is elevated. And the weather is cool, just like in Tagaytay unlike in Buli where we were so congested),” she says.

In turn, their vacated areas will be protected by the local government from being inhabited by other informal settlers through the establishment of greenbelts, community gardens, and other uses.

No longer afraid

Vilna’s new home is a 26-square meter core house with a lot area of 36 square meters. The Dreamland community is made up of several row houses of the same size. “Ang nakakapagpasaya sa amin ay iyong aming panibagong pamumuhay at iyong hindi na ako kinakabahan lagi. E noon, pag sa riles, pag lalabas ako, nakakatakot pag daan ng tren (We feel so happy with the change in environment and I no longer feel afraid for my safety. But before, in my old home near the Muntinlupa railways, whenever I left the house, I always got nervous when the train passed by),” she adds.

At the Muntinlupa railways site, the train passes every 30 minutes on weekdays and every hour on weekends. Twenty years ago, her then two-year old daughter was almost run over by a train. The daughter now has a family of her own. Vilna’s own husband Rene was almost sideswiped by a passing train just 2 years ago when he carried a child out of the train’s way. Both Rene and the child went unscathed but only by a hair’s breadth, she said.

“Nagpapasalamat kami sa ADB dahil kami’ ang napili na magbenepisyo sa dinami-dami ng depressed area. Malaking biyaya na napili kami (We are thankful to ADB that we were chosen as a beneficiary out of so many depressed areas We are so blessed),” says Vilna.

In her new home, she crochets blouses, bags and other novelty items for a living. She also sells purified water in the community. Her husband is a construction worker and is a volunteer member of the barangay police. They have six children.

The project is a model for the relocation of informal settlers. Residents are given livelihood opportunities, including access to jobs in the city, new job opportunities at the relocation site, and access to credit. There is bridge financing for off-site land purchase under the Government's Community Mortgage Program. Basic services such as water supply, sanitation, and roads are also being financed. There are sustainable revolving funds for housing construction, livelihood and microenterprise development loans for beneficiaries, which when repaid will be extended to additional communities.

Self-help approach

The project adopted a new self-help and community-based approach to the relocation of informal settlers by establishing a cooperative relationship among local government units, nongovernment organizations, and people's organizations in both the sending and receiving municipalities. This aims to avert economic dislocation among the community.

Two urban poor communities in Buli and Cupang in Muntinlupa City, composed of 427 families out of an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 households who lived along the tracks, are being resettled in this integrated urban development project. The communities are Maralitang Nagkakaisa sa Tramo Buli (MANATRA) and Cupang Tramo Neighborhood Association (CTNA).

“The new community at Dreamland Heights provides a decent, well equipped living setting without the constant danger from passing trains,” says Michael Lindfield, an ADB Senior Housing and Urban Development Specialist. “To ensure the project’s success, it was shaped by the beneficiaries themselves and not imposed on them,” he added.

Besides reducing poverty in the informal communities of Muntinlupa City, the JFPR project will provide guidance to a $50 million ADB loan project on Metro Manila Urban Services for the Poor.

The total cost of the Muntinlupa project is $1.2 million equivalent. The Muntinlupa City local government provided $200,000 equivalent for land purchase, site development and housing construction. The executing agency is the Department of Social Welfare and Development while the Muntinlupa Development Foundation (MDF) is the implementing agency. The project was also made possible in partnership with the National Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, and the Municipal Government of San Pedro, Laguna, in coordination with the HUDCC, Department of Education and Department of Finance.

In August 2001, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited the Muntinlupa railways site to witness the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Philippine Government and ADB to kick off the project.

The JFPR was set up in 2000 with an initial contribution of ¥10 billion (about US$90 million). Total contributions now stand at almost $327 million for the fund, which is supporting 49 projects in 18 countries around Asia and the Pacific, with over 20 more in the pipeline. The fund supports projects that directly provide relief measures, improve services and facilities for poorer population groups, and apply new approaches, particularly in the social sectors.

Puerto Princesa City -- Almost P2 billion worth of infrastructure projects funded by the Asian Development Bank in this city are boosting its US$100 million development plan which will make it ready for a massive tourism promotion that aims to bring in 600,000 tourists in just three years’ time.

Known as the Philippines’ last frontier because of its strong environmental program, Puerto Princesa wants to be the country’s no. 1 tourist destination for its eco-tourism. It is currently among the top or major tourist destinations in the country. At its height, tourism arrivals reached 170,000 but have since gone down drastically with the terrorism scare caused by 9-11 and the infamous kidnapping by the Abu Sayyaf at one of its popular island resorts in 2001. Starting on the 3rd quarter of 2002, tourist arrivals have increased with the City gaining popularity as a conference and sports destination.

The man behind the city’s ambitious development is Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, a living legend in his own right due to his checkered past and close affinity to past and present national leaders. He was one of the local government officials who pledged crucial support to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the height of the political crisis in July.

He says he is not in a hurry to promote his city as yet, as he implements his development plans which put a premium on sustainable development above all else. Among the beautification and improvements in infrastructure he is undertaking are the widening of Rizal Ave., reclamation of the wharf, and putting a promenade along the boulevard, just like Manila’s Baywalk. He is also purchasing additional police cars and hiring more police officers to beef up the current police force complement.

It is for this reason that he is grateful for the major infrastructure projects funded by the ADB that were recently completed or near completion which consist of an arterial road network, a sanitary landfill and fisheries project.

The P1.6 billion Palawan North Road is a 134-kilometer road which stretches from the city to Roxas, cutting travel time from four to five hours to just one and a half hours. The concrete road was made with a special concrete paver, making it much smoother than normal concrete roads. Engineers boast that it is a world-class road. It was completed in 2004. The road is part of the ADB’s Sixth Road Project which aims to improve infrastructure in the countryside to boost economic development. The project consists of the 80.34- kilometer Puerto Princesa-Langogan road and the 54.14-kilometer Langogan-Roxas road. It is located along the northeast coast of Palawan.

“These nice roads are a catalyst for development. Normally, investors, when they come, they first look at the road network, for the delivery of goods and products. Roads are a major aspect of development,” says Mayor Hagedorn. “We would like to thank the ADB for making us a part of their major programs, particularly in infrastructure.”

“Before, when you go to Roxas, you stop at San Rafael which is 75 kilometers from the city. All buses stop there to eat because the trip is long. After the uphill climb in Langogan, there’s another eatery, and they eat again because they are hungry again,” says Simeon Alarcon, Vice President of the Palawan Chamber of Commerce. “Now, the buses don’t stop anymore.”

The Palawan North Road boosts the tourism economy of the province, which is one of only two industries after agriculture. It leads to major tourism spots like Honda Bay, the Underground River, and its famed world-class resorts like El Nido, Club Noah-Isabelle, etc.

Another ADB-funded project is the P200-million sanitary landfill in barangay Sta. Lourdes, touted to be the first local government-controlled sanitary landfill in the country. It was one of the projects submitted for ADB funding in 1991 under the Philippine Regional Municipal Project. It is now operational and the Mayor is inculcating in his constituents to be conscious of solid waste management by having a proper waste disposal from the source.

“If you don’t have a comprehensive solid waste management program, if you get a huge influx of tourists, you won’t know how to address the garbage problem. So we’re lucky that before the influx of more tourists, we are now ready for a massive solid waste management program,” Mayor Hagedorn says.

The project will cover the entire urban population and more than half of the rural population. The required capacity is for 20 years waste generation. With the implementation of the zero waste management program under R.A. 2003, the City expects that the life span of the sanitary landfill will extend to 50 years or more.

The sanitary landfill will be implemented in 6 phases on a 26.9 hectare lot. Phase 1 covered the construction of a leachate treatment plant and pumping stations; composting plant; and auxiliary facilities like access road, perimeter fence and gate, cut-off ditches and drainage system, monitoring wells, protection dikes, gas vents, waste recovery shed, equipment yard and wash bay, weighbridge, guardhouse, and administrative building. Dump trucks and a landfill vibratory compactor were also purchased.

The third ADB project in the city is the Fisheries Resources Management Project which supports the strong environment vision of Mayor Hagedorn. Under the P40 million project, 370 hectares have been declared fish sanctuaries, prohibiting fishing and any other human activity. “We are achieving our goal of sustainable development and reduction in poverty,” says the Mayor. The city also maintains nurseries with mangrove seedlings and the maintenance of the full-grown mangroves.

The project has an income diversification component, through community participation for the sustainable livelihood of fishermen who were once engaged in destructive and or unsustainable means of fishing, by providing microfinancing for such activities as crab fattening, fish drying, processing etc. It covers 56 coastal barangays. In Honda Bay alone, there are 18 coastal barangays benefiting from the project while in Puerto Princesa Bay, it covers 22 barangays.

Ironically, the Mayor has a strong environmental advocacy not because he has been an environmentalist all his life but because he was among the first loggers in Palawan. “The turning point was when I was elected mayor in 1992. It was a humbling experience that you are not from here and you were elected. That’s what changed my outlook. Because of the trust and confidence of Palaweños, I promised I am going to protect the resources that rightfully belong to the Palaweños.”

And this strong environmental advocacy has garnered for the mayor and his city numerous environmental awards not just locally but from international organizations as well.

PANGASINAN, PHILIPPINES  - Bienvenido Caasi, 62, considers himself lucky. After years of engaging in dynamite fishing, he still has all his fingers intact. Other fishermen are not as lucky - many are missing several fingers or even a whole arm from this destructive form of fishing.

Mr. Caasi is no longer into dynamite fishing these days but he still lives just as dangerously. In his new role as member of the "Bantay Dagat" (sea patrol volunteer), he makes sure that only legal means of fishing are practised in his village in Macaleeng, Anda. He is on guard against commercial fishing boats from other towns engaged in illegal forms of fishing in his territory. The death threats he gets do not faze him.

"I was just following the others," he said. "People from other towns would come here and fish illegally. We knew we were breaking the law but it was easy for us to get out of it. But I realized there was no future in this. Dynamite fishing was destroying the corals and the small fish were dying. So this is my way of paying back what I destroyed."

Mr. Caasi heads the Macaleeng Samahang Multi-Sectoral ng Barangay, which is responsible for guarding the 48.5 hectare Panacalan Island Fish Sanctuary in his town. Ben and his men guard the sanctuary in support of the government through local laws formulated with the Fisheries Resource Management Project (FRMP). A municipal ordinance enabled them to supervise and maintain the sanctuary's protection since April 2003. No fishing is allowed inside this sanctuary and Mr. Caasi and his group make sure of that.

There are two people's organizations patrolling the sanctuary on a voluntary basis, and Mr. Caasi belongs to one of them. Volunteers also serve as tourist guides to visitors. The project provided them the boat, binoculars, and communications equipment for their patrol duties. On the side, they have a seaweeds livelihood project, supported by a grateful town mayor.

Nowadays, Mr. Caasi is still both a fisherman and a guardian of the sea. His efforts have enabled him to increase his fish catch by at least half a kilo for every two-to-three hours of fishing. And this time around, his conscience is clear that he is not causing any damage to the environment.

The Philippines has one of the world's richest biogeographic areas with a wide diversity of marine life. It is a natural fishing ground with 150 million hectares of marine waters surrounding its 7,107 islands. Its coastline of 17,640 kilometers is five times its land area. Fisheries, therefore, is a main source of livelihood for over a million Filipinos, most of whom live below the poverty line.

The FRMP therefore has an important task to do, which is to reverse the trend of declining fisheries resources in municipal waters - the area within 15 kilometers of the shore - caused by overfishing and destructive fishing using dynamite, cyanide and fine mesh nets. The project is being implemented in 18 out of the 26 priority bays around the country, in 100 municipal communities and cities in 11 out of 15 coastal regions and 23 provinces. Anda, enriched by Lingayen Gulf, belongs to one of two provinces being covered by the FRMP in the Ilocos Region.

It is a six-year project being implemented by the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and funded by ADB and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The project began in 1998 and builds on the Government's Fisheries Sector Program approved in the early 1990s, which was also made possible through ADB assistance.

This year, as the project draws to a close, it can boast of successfully fulfilling its main mission of reversing the declining production of municipal fisheries. Production has increased by an annual average of 2.64% since 1999, in its first year of implementation. Enhanced habitats have resulted in the improvement in the volume of fish catch and its sizes; certain species that have stayed away after years of destructive fishing have even returned.

The project encourages small-scale fisherfolk to seek alternative forms of livelihood such as in cottage industries or mariculture to augment their income from fishing. The top livelihood alternatives are seaweed culture, milkfish deboning, fish drying, and grouper culture. As of May 2005, a total of 217 livelihood projects have been provided to about 6,619 beneficiaries. Nongovernment organizations help fisherfolk form self-help groups, mobilize savings, develop small businesses and rehabilitate and manage fisheries resources.

One such partnership between a livelihood center and a town is in San Fabian, Pangasinan. Mayor Mojamito Libunao says he strongly supports the bangus deboning and smoking project of FRMP by marketing the end-product. "It is something that we feel we should support first because the capital investment is not so much," he says. "A large part of the investment is in educating and instructing the beneficiaries. And these are beneficiaries who really need the additional income."

The project also strengthened the capacity of government agencies in managing their fisheries resources at the local level. Seventy-two coastal communities have drafted their municipal coastal resource management (CRM) plans while 876 barangays have prepared their own plans. The CRM implementation of the project becomes the responsibility of the communities and local government units (LGUs). As a sign of the project's high credibility and success among local folk, even non-FRMP areas have adapted ordinances of nearby towns.

Jessica Munoz, the FRMP Project Director, stressed the strong role that local governments play in the project. "Before we start the project, we sign agreements with LGUs where they commit to the project and provide counterpart funding. So they have a stake here too," she says. "It's not a doleout. If you have a stake here, your participation is more committed because you will nurture your investment. We expect the LGUs to continue with the activities even after the project funding has ended since this becomes part of their regular planning and activities."

The project has established a Fisherfolk Registration Database, now deployed to 80 municipalities; a Fisheries Information Management System, which supports regulatory, licensing and law enforcement; and decision-making functions in fisheries. It captures the number of fisherfolk, gear, vessel used, and landed catch

The project's information-education-communication (IEC) campaign promotes awareness and community participation in educating fisherfolk about the problem of fish depletion and getting them involved in resource rehabilitation activities. Even schoolchildren are made aware of their activities. Barangay Learning and Resource Centers have been established in major coastal regions. Many local government units have been trained by FRMP staff and are now producing their own information materials, to suit their own information dissemination needs, mostly in their own dialect. The BFAR-FRMP website, which gives out important fisheries information, is an equally popular information tool, averaging 20,000 to 35,000 hits per month. Some municipalities are using FRMP's databases for their operations.

Ms. Munoz says there was a strong need for a grassroots-level IEC component. "Fisheries management is basically a change in attitude in people. Before, fishermen are used to taking resources for themselves," she adds. "But here, there is control and management of the resources from where they get their living. It is difficult to tell them not to get too much out of these resources so we had to conduct a massive information campaign among the fishermen and schoolchildren." She says that through this they will recognize the importance of managing their coastal resources and an awareness of environmental concerns."

"FRMP has been of great assistance to us ever since it started in terms of education and training," says Mayor Gabriel Navarro of Bani town who fiercely protects his town's mangrove rehabilitated area, even at the risk of his own reelection last year. "More people are now aware of environmental concerns especially in the protection of our marine resources."

The project also has a community-based carrot-and-stick approach to law enforcement, specifically in sea patrol. Mr. Caasi is only one of a total of 1,174 persons who have been trained on fisheries law enforcement under FRMP. Not all apprehensions, however, end up in courts since sea patrols try to resolve disputes at the barangay level and rarely reach the courts.

"There is a very significant improvement in terms of apprehension of people who are continuously violating the law," notes Regional Director Nestor Dumenden of BFAR Region 1.

The need to protect Pangasinan's vast marine resources has never been as important as today when it is now actively promoting its once-famous Hundred Islands back in the tourism map, as an eco-tourism destination. "The objective is to maintain its natural beauty and protect the environment within that area," says Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza.

Mr. Caasi's 39-year old son Harvey is also a fisherman. He only finished vocational school training and applied for employment in many offices to no avail. So he went back to the sea for a living. His only child, a 16-year old son, has completed high school and would like to pursue a college degree as a computer technician. But with meager financial resources, he will likely end up fishing for a living, like his father and his father before him. The older Caasi's are making sure he still has some fish to catch, just in case he won't be able to acquire a college degree.

Sagada, Mt. Province -- Domingo Kelly is 63 years old and has been working in the farm all his life in this world-renowned scenic part of the Cordilleras. A third generation farmer from Ilocos Sur, he has no regrets with his chosen field despite his many hardships.

“I plant palay, then cabbage and carrots alternately throughout the year,” he says. It’s not enough to feed his family and he had to seek additional work to be able to make ends meet. But somehow he survived, even sending his seven children through high school. Only one of his children has followed his footsteps in the farm, even if he had enough land to provide each child with his or her own plots to toil.

Upland farmers in the Cordilleras are learning new ways to farm to help them better battle the natural elements in their rice and vegetable plantations. But new man-made challenges, mainly cheaper imports, have made their produce less palatable to the local market.

Under the $41.4 million Cordillera Highland Agriculture Resource Management (CHARM) project, farmers have doubled and sometimes tripled their earnings with irrigated farms, new infrastructure like bridges, farm-to-market roads and undergoing training in new farming methods. The Asian Development Bank provided almost half of the total project cost.

CHARM is a seven-year project that aims to reduce poverty in the Cordillera region by increasing incomes of smallholder farm families through improved agricultural productivity and the development of sustainable systems of resource management.

The project boasts of a good track record as it draws to a close this year, with a 99.63 percent physical performance accomplishment in the targeted poor beneficiaries in 82 villages in Abra, Mt. Province, and Benguet provinces or about 50,000 households. With the spillover effect of the project, other nearby municipalities indirectly reap the project benefits as well.

“I would want to believe that doing it the way we did will really be the way to do projects rather than the blueprint type,” says Cameron Odsey, Project Director of CHARM. “We really have to involve basically the primary beneficiaries of the project, who are the farmers.”

The community, including the indigenous people, was consulted and mobilized throughout the project, such as in managing the natural resources. This makes them stakeholders in the project and are committed from the planning stages up to its maintenance and upkeep, even after its completion.

“While this is a loan project, we were able to implement it successfully. It’s a very good investment,” Odsey says, which needs to be maintained now by the beneficiaries themselves with the project now in its final stages. Roads will now have to be maintained by the local governments; irrigation systems need to be maintained by the farmer-groups; the reforestation projects need to be maintained by the community.

Upland farming is difficult enough as it is, with the cold weather, lack of water, less yield, more costs, topography, and the distance it takes to transport goods as compared to lowland farming. Development activities cost more and takes more time and effort in the uplands. The yield is 50% less than in the lowlands which yield 3.5 tons per hectare. A farm-to-market road in the lowlands would cost less than a million pesos per kilometer; in the uplands, it is between P1.5 million to P2 million per kilometer.

Even at the start, the project was readily accepted by the local community some of whom are deeply-entrenched in the Igorot tradition. It is the first time that they were benefited by a national government project of this scale.

New and rehabilitated irrigation systems enabled farmers to harvest two to three times a year, instead of just once a year. The project has completed 151.35 kilometers of farm-to-market roads; 644.5 meters of spillway; 95.4 meters of bridges; 358.5 meters of foot bridges; 30 schemes of water supply; and 52 community irrigation systems/projects. In reforestation, it has established a total of 6,560 hectares of plantation (i.e. reforestation, agro-forestry, and enrichment planting) while maintained 6,150 hectares for forestry and 410 hectares for agro-forestry.

Catherine Kibatay, who owns a small store that has an overlooking view of an irrigated farm in Sagada, Mt. Province, notes the improvement in her community. “Abandoned fields are growing again; water is distributed evenly,” she says. “We thank the irrigation. It’s a good help to the farmers.”

It is in CHARM that the first ancestral domain title in the country was issued. To date, it has issued almost 130,0000 hectares of certificate of ancestral domain title and almost 100,000 hectares of ancestral domain sustainable development and protection plan, thus improving the land tenure in those areas.

For the agricultural support services component, farmers underwent a four-month integrated pest management course on ways to properly use fertilizer, avoiding the use of pesticides, its effects on one’s health, the kind of insects in the farm, and the insects that can cause crop damage. By inculcating to farmers the proper use of pesticides, its harmful effects and alternative ways to control pests, they were able to reduce by 70 percent the use of chemical pesticide.

“The war with pests goes on. There are emerging pests that evolve,” says Odsey. “What would be critical is for the farmers to be able to understand these things and not rely on pesticides. In the past, the moment they see a bug on the leaf of a cabbage crop, they would immediately spray it with pesticides without knowing whether that insect is indeed friendly or a pest.”

Trainings were also conducted on how to grow vegetables and what crops to plant. Research into high-yielding rice varieties for the uplands that can replace traditional varieties have had negative results though. Either the new varieties were unable to grow in the area or farmers were not able to harvest more than once a year as envisioned.

The major problem facing vegetable growers is the entry into the local market of cheaper and better imports. The vegetables that they grow have big and small sizes, while the market wants a uniform size. In addition, farmers’ children are educated or acquiring non-farming skills that lead them to fields other than the farms.

“It really affected the income of the farmers especially the vegetable-growing areas like Bauko, Sagada and Besao. Because of the cheaper price, they prefer the imported ones. The products of our farmers were deprived. The market price is very much lower. Like for carrots, they could sell it for P5, whereas our local carrots, we sell them at P15 to P20,” says Mary Buanzi, senior agriculturist of Mt. Province.

“We are encouraging them, our kababayans, to buy our own products. At least we are sure of our products unlike the imports. We do not know the process of producing it. They might contain too much pesticide or what. But at least if we buy our own, we know the processes that were done in the production of that product,” she adds.

Upland farmers toil on despite the natural and man-made elements that they face. They are used to the harsh conditions, as their fathers and grandfathers before them. But improvements in their way of life will ensure continuity of centuries-old traditions for many generations to come and for those who choose to stay put.